Content that Converts to Sales

When planning your content, sell experience, not low prices. A new study from Stanford School of Business shows that the most successful slogans are the ones that sell a mindset, not a bottom line. Think of Disney, Marlboro, and CocaCola: Those are all companies that sell a way of life: childhood, masculinity, and fun.

Write subject lines that speak to experience, not prices. “Summertime barbecue picnic” sells an idea, while “30% off grilling equipment” sells a price.

Your logo and header sells your company’s personality. The Apple logo is austere and simplistic, as are its streamlined products; the Chuck E. Cheese deranged rat says fun times and anything goes.

Similarly, your email format should be just as constant and reflective of your brand’s personality. Choose colors, images, and tone that impress upon customers the mood they should be in when shopping.

Create a timeliness factor

If you’re a nonprofit asking for donations, emphasize your need by creating a deadline. Readers are less likely to get around to donating if your need is continual, so create a sense of urgency.

Host an online event, for example a one-day sale. Give it a theme (ex.: back to school, Hawaiian luau, zombies) and build up to it on social media and your newsletter by email. Give email subscribers VIP status with free shipping or early entry to the sale website.

Use your ESP to schedule an array of emails triggered by customer behavior, to create a sense of time running out. Do this with restraint, however, as email customers read unrealistic time-sensitive sales pitches (especially those with exclamation points in the subject lines) as suspicious.

Inform your customer

If you’re a start-up, the average consumer will research your products before making a purchase. You can bolster their confidence several ways.

Plan an automated, triggered drip marketing campaign, where you plan to introduce yourself to the customer 20 or more times before you expect a conversion.

Introduce new products by telling customers why they’re good for that customer, not why the product is cool in general. How does this product solve a problem or offer a solution for this customer? Split your list by demographics or other factors that influence how your customer interacts with your brand to send more tailored messages.

The biggest hurtle to shopping online is imagining the 2D product image as a 3D object. Bridge the gap by sending emails that link to video product reviews on your landing page. Show the average consumer using and talking about their personal experience with your product.